Much like Brazil's Angra and more recently Italy's Vision Divine, Spain's Dark Moor faced a dilemma. In the year following the release of the great The Gates Of Oblivion, the band fell apart! Gone were vocalist Elisa
C. Martin, one guitarist, the keyboardist, and the drummer. Elisa went on to front the French symphonic metal band Fairyland, as well as forming a new band with her fellow Dark Moor alumni. Only guitarist Enrik Garcia and bassist Anan Kaddouri remained.
To be quite honest, I really wondered how Dark Moor would survive. Would they, could they ever be the same? In the case of Angra, they experienced a Rebirth and still enjoy success throughout the world despite only having two original members left. Despite this Shaman, the band that former vocalist Andre Matos fronts with the remainder of the Angra band, I feel have retained the sound of Angra past more so than the present lineup. How would Dark Moor fare, with the first album with this new lineup?
Surprisingly enough, they not only retain the Dark Moor sound of years past, but have in fact become even more epic, more symphonic, and certainly more progressive sounding! While I really miss the rich Spanish accented voice of Elisa, new vocalist (this time being a male) Alfred Romero fills in very
nicely. His voice is higher pitched than Elisa's and is also well trained. This album incorporates more choirs into the arrangements, and also features some epic length prog metal masterpieces. "The Dark Moor" is a perfect example of this. They also continue to write tales of medieval times, and
historical events such as "Philip The Second". In other words, they seem to be even more Dark Moor than ever before, even with a radically changed lineup. The musicianship on this album is stellar, and the guitarists work well together, as they blend neoclassical styled lead breaks and fills flawlessly. Guest
keyboardist Isabel Garcia contributes some really glorious keyboard work, which, blending with the choral arrangements really gives this album a full and lush sound.
"Welcome to the Dark Moor
City of the dreams, where is it's gateway?"
To me the answer is, by opening this CD you also open the gateway to this city of dreams. The spirit of Dark Moor lives on, and is stronger than ever before!
Track Listing
1. A Life for Revenge
2. Eternally
3. The Bane of Daninsky (the werewolf)
4. Philip, The Second
5. From Hell
6. Cyrano of Bergerac
7. Overture (Attila)
8. Wind Like Stroke (Attila)
9. Return for Love (Attila)
10. Amore Venio (Attila)
11. The Ghost Sword (Attila)
12. The Dark Moor
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